The rise of 'immigrant schools'

Parents with immigrant backgrounds are increasingly opting for free schools

Acceptance is a factor for some parents (Photo: Colourbox)

September 2, 201419:05

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Jyllands-Posten reports a huge increase in the number of parents from immigrant backgrounds sending their children to what are being described as ‘immigrant’ schools.

There are today 27 private schools where every single pupil speaks two languages, which have been set up by groups of parents with immigrant backgrounds.

Parents seek acceptance
Annette Ihle from UC Sjælland college, which has conducted studies of several immigrant private schools, explained to Jyllands-Posten that the parents’ motivation was often their need for an acceptance of being Muslim.

“Many of these parents experience that they have to explain themselves to the public schools. They don’t have to do this to private schools,” she said.

Jyllands-Posten reports that pupils at most of the 27 ‘immigrant schools' perform the same as children from other schools, when their socio-economic backgrounds are also taken into account, but that some of them perform significantly better.

The minister for education, Christine Antorini, told Jyllands-Posten that she hoped that most parents would choose public schools so that children meet regardless of background. She added that all 'free schools' – schools like the immigrant schools that are neither private or run by the local authority – needed to ensure that there pupils became democratic citizens.